ITV

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  • SET popularises its characters through interesting promos

    MUMBAI: Whether its Jassi from Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin or Pooja from Yeh Meri Life Hai, Sony Entertainment Television is working on series of interesting programming and marketing initiatives for viewers to empathize with the main protagonists of its prime time shows.
    Sony is currently running a ‘Jassi Hum Tum’ contest involving a interesting tussle between Jassi and Karan Kapoor, a role of cartoonist portrayed by Saif Ali Khan in the forthcoming movie Hum Tum.

    In the promotional campaign for Yashraj Films’ Hum Tum, Karan, who is working with the Times of India in the movie, will have an argument with Jassi on May 27 during Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin. Karan, who as in the movie is indifferent to her co-star Rani Mukherjee and other women, will be involved in a similar situation with Jassi.
    Says SET senior vice-president marketing Albert Almeida, “It’s a three-way promotion between Sony, Yashraj Films and the Times of India. The plot of the movie or Saif’s character has been smartly woven with Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin. Saif will be seen in a cameo, having similar differences with Jassi (as with Rani) soon.”

    On the objective behind the new initiative and the recent one, where Jassi and her friend Nandu were shown on NDTV during the India Fashion Week (held in the Capital recently), Almeida said, “The whole idea is to make viewers relate with these characters, emphatise with them and also to bring in additional viewers by usage of other mediums.”

    The interactive contest is about choosing an option for what is Jassi’s problem, according to Karan Kapoor. Viewers can either use SET’s four-digit SMS code or log onto SET’s web site for an opportunity to meet Saif Ali Khan.

    Such contests soon will be extended to other characters from Sony. “Its not only Jassi. We have plans for others like Saaksshi and Pooja,” said Almeida.

  • Discovery US extends ops through new facility

    MUMBAI: Discovery US has launched a state-of-the-art Discovery Television and Technology Center. This will serve as the new home for the network origination for 13 of Discovery’s US Networks and BBC America, encompassing a total of 17 network feeds.
     
     

    As Discovery US celebrates its 20th anniversary later this year, the company will provide increasingly connected consumers with the highest quality viewing experience through the digital, file-based, high-definition ready, owned-and-operated playout facility which began broadcasting today. In this digital age, the Discovery Television and Technology Center, located in Virginia leverages the latest technology to ensure that Discovery’s commitment to quality extends all the way from production to air.

    The aim of the Center’s specialized technology, systems and staff will be to guarantee that when viewers tune into any of Discovery’s US Networks they will be met with quality programming provided at superior broadcast standards. Discovery states that the facility is a fusion of broadcast and information technology that enables the use of digital files paired with high-bandwidth data networking instead of video tapes for the storage and distribution of all programs, commercials, and other broadcast elements.

    As a result, the center provides cost-effective flexibility that can evolve with Discovery as it brings content to a growing number of subscribers through traditional and new media. With system integration services provided by Ascent Media Systems & Technology Services, the true design and operational center of the facility is the glass-enclosed, circular master control area that can support any mixture of up to 64 channels of HD or SD programming. The master control features three on-air supervisor posts, with the ability to add one more, and is surrounded by ten transmission pods that can be easily configured to control as little as one or as many as six of Discovery’s US Networks in various combinations based on business needs.

    Additionally, the design will result in tremendous operational cost savings, while providing the ability to ensure proper signal monitoring during key programming day parts. The center boasts eight active media ingest/QC suites that can be grown to ten, a HD/SD-hybrid live events control room, two non-linear post-production suites and a transmission operations center (TOC). The fully integrated, server-based venue also hosts a massive digital data archive and on-site physical media library. After the initial content ingest, the entire end-to-end workflow occurs in a tapeless manner employing five video servers that provide 2000 hours of online storage and a nearline tape archive that supports up to 90 petabytes of high-resolution content.

  • Nick US goes mobile through Verizon tie up

    MUMBAI: Kids entertainment brand Nickelodeon in the US is seeking to leverage the mobile platform.

    It has announced the launch of Nick Mobile through a deal with Verizon Wireless.
     
     

    The deal brings Nickelodeon video content to Verizon Wireless’ V Cast wireless phones. Music videos from Nick Jr. favourites Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues, The Backyardigans and LazyTown will be the first available content on Nick Mobile, with Nickelodeon television programming scheduled to roll out later this year.

    Eight Nick Jr. Videos which are one to three minutes long, are available at launch on Verizon Wireless’ V Cast wireless broadband multimedia service. Nickelodeon plans to release three new Nick Jr. videos each week.

    Nickelodeon Online senior VP and GM Mike Skagerlind says, “Nickelodeon is everywhere kids are, which includes cell phones. The relationship with Verizon Wireless allows us to offer content through its V Cast service, providing a new way for our audience to watch their favorite characters, and further extending the Nick and Nick Jr. experience for kids beyond the home. It gives parents another way to engage and play with their kids when they are on-the-go.”

    V Cast from Verizon Wireless claims to be the first wireless broadband consumer service in the US. It allows customers to view crystal clear short content on demand and videos because it runs on Verizon Wireless’ Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) network – the only widely available wide-area wireless broadband network in the US.

     

  • Viacom to tap Internet radio through Infinity Broadcasting

    MUMBAI: Viacom’s radio initiative Infinity Broadcasting has announced it would make available streaming audio of 11 of its leading news and news-talk stations from 14 March onwards.
     

    The all-news stations to be streamed include 1010 WINS (New York), KFWB-AM (Los Angeles), KNX-AM (Los Angeles), WBBM-AM (Chicago), KCBS-AM (San Francisco) KYW-AM (Philadelphia), WBZ-AM (Boston), and WWJ-AM (Detroit). Legendary news-talk stations KMOX-AM (St. Louis), KDKA-AM (Pittsburgh) and KRLD-AM (Dallas) will also be available via their station websites. Infinity’s other all-news station, WCBS-AM, was previously launched online last December, says an official release.
     
     

    Making the announcement, Infinity chairman & CEO Joel Hollander said, “The millions of people who tune in to our radio stations are increasingly looking for alternative ways to receive the information vital to their everyday lives. And as more and more listening is being done away from home and the car, we must extend our stations beyond their dial positions to meet the needs of the consumer. We believe streaming our stations online will not only exceed their expectations, but will also create an outlet with which we can target a larger audience and increase time spent listening.”

    A survey conducted by Arbitron Inc. and Edison Media Research says Internet radio currently attracts 19 million U.S. listeners each week. This was 11 million in 2001.

    News Corp has been seriously looking at the convergence possibilities of Internet in the recent times. Though its Internet operations had received a setback in the 1990s, the company is now finding the time far more appropriate to explore the Web. The new development follows a top-level meeting News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch convened last Wednesday in New York to plan an Internet strategy for the global media company.